Can I run Hearts of Iron III?

Hearts of Iron III (2009) is a strategy game and a very light game for a PC. It even runs on integrated graphics, so most laptops and office PCs can play it.

Very light2009StrategyPC (Windows)

Check your PC

Choose the graphics card, processor and memory closest to yours. Not sure? On Windows press Win + R, type dxdiag and look at "Processor", "Memory" and the Display tab.

Graphics cardProcessorMemory (RAM)

Full check (laptops, consoles, more parts) →See the requirements

Hearts of Iron III system requirements

	Minimum
Processor	Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+
Memory	2 GB of RAM
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon X1900 videocard
Storage	2 GB

The game's Steam page lists only the minimum requirements.

Source: the official Hearts of Iron III Steam page, checked October 2026.

Which PC runs Hearts of Iron III?

To play it you need at least a GeForce GTX 750 Ti class graphics card, an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 class processor and 2 GB of RAM.

Graphics card: minimum

GeForce GTX 750 Ti
GeForce GTX 960
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Processor: minimum

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Intel Core i3-6100
AMD FX-8350

How common PCs do: GTX 1650 + Core i5-8400 + 16 GB: 100%, high settings; RTX 3060 + Ryzen 5 5600 + 16 GB: 100%, high settings; Laptop with integrated graphics + 8 GB: 40%, below the minimum, not playable well.

Parts with the same speed (and newer, faster ones) work too. Laptop versions of a graphics card are usually a little slower.

Upgrade picks for Hearts of Iron III

Parts from our product guides that reach the recommended specs.

Graphics card for the recommended settingsIntel Arc B580

Budget / 1080p-1440p

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Graphics card for the recommended settingsAMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB

Mid-range / 1440p

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Graphics card for the recommended settingsAMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

Mainstream / 1080p

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Processor for the recommended settingsAMD Ryzen 5 5500F

1080p budget gaming rigs

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Processor for the recommended settingsIntel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus

The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a desktop processor from Intel. See the full specifications and the current price on

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Hearts of Iron III: questions

What are the minimum system requirements for Hearts of Iron III?

Minimum: processor Intel Pentium IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+; 2 GB of RAM; graphics NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon X1900 videocard; 2 GB.

What graphics card do I need for Hearts of Iron III?

At least a GeForce GTX 750 Ti, GeForce GTX 960, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or a card of the same speed for the minimum settings.

Can a GTX 1650 run Hearts of Iron III?

Yes. The GTX 1650 reaches the minimum graphics and the recommended graphics too. A whole PC with a GTX 1650, a Core i5-8400 and 16 GB of RAM gets 100% in our checker (high settings).

Can Hearts of Iron III run without a graphics card (integrated graphics)?

Not well. The minimum is a dedicated graphics card (GeForce GTX 750 Ti class); with integrated graphics our checker gives 40% (below the minimum, not playable well).

Is 8 GB of RAM enough for Hearts of Iron III?

Yes. 8 GB meets the minimum memory for Hearts of Iron III.

How much storage does Hearts of Iron III need?

Hearts of Iron III needs 2 GB of free space.

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Ask ROC, our gaming assistant (the chat button), "can my PC run Hearts of Iron III?" and tell it your parts, or upload your dxdiag file.